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The algae problem in my aquatics tank, housing Utricularia radiata and Australian Aldrovanda vesiculosa, has escalated to terribly frustrating proportions. The plants are still growing, but I fear that the algae may kill them in the future. I introduced a snail earlier this week in an attempt to control the spreading plague, but so far it seems to produce more droppings than its worth, which I worry may upset the pH balance. What is there to do?? It's just way too much hassle to take out the plants, empty out the aquarium (extremely heavy even at just 10 gallons), refill it (over &#368.00 worth of distilled water) and mix in peat, let the peat settle over the course of several days while trying to keep the plants alive in a temporary container, skim the floating crap from the peat off the top of the water, and reintroduce the plants, and then I just have to do it all over again in a few weeks. If this is my only option, then I am set to give up on aquatics in the near future, and until further notice. I really wanted to see my U. radiata flower and produce those wonderful floats that it's known for, but I don't see any signs of that happening anytime soon, especially with the algae taking over. And there's another problem: One of my goals in CP is to grow at least one species from each of the known carnivorous genera. For Utricularia, I can get around this by growing a nice terrestrial Utric. Not so for Aldrovanda, which is a monotypic genus, and of course entirely aquatic. Thankfully, however, it grows much slower than U. radiata, whose proliferation has lately been annoying me almost as much as the algae has! =Þ Can anyone offer any sort of viable solution that doesn't require all the toil and expense of refilling an aquarium every few weeks? I would be immensely grateful if someone could help me to save my interest in aquatic CPs, because the algae is killing it. [img]http://www.**********.com/iBhtml/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif[/img]

is having the correct ph level THAT vita to utric and aldro life? i would just add some snails. frankly, i dont care about how i grow my aquatic utric, all i do is keep it in a bowl of water. thats it, no peat or anything. and its been thriving for about 1 year. its a u.gibbba, so figures lol.

Havron, I am no Aquatic utric expert, but I did have similar problems with my U. Vulgaris last year and did manage to overcome the problem!

Where do you keep your tank? Warm temperatures and lots of sunlight cause extra algae growth. I used to have my tank in the greenhouse, and this was just full of green water. I did a water change and then placed the tank in a semi shaded position outside. The algae did come back but took nearly three times longer to do so. Since the plant is Austarlian you will want to find a place that is cool but isnt going to freeze.
The sectret to obtaining the correct water balance though Is companion planting. Go to yiour local aquatic store and buy a deep water plant that you can plant in the peat on the bottom of your tank and that needs similar conditions to your Utrics. I used a type of miniature sedge. As the leaves die and decompose in the water, they release chemicals wich acidify the water and keep the algae at bay. A few weeks after planting the sedge my Aldrovanda wen't mad! I also then had a huge community of things living in my tank, snails, Newts, dragonfly nymph.
Before you make these changes you will need to remove your plants and gently tease the alae off the stems. Put some wire prongs on the end of a stick and 'twist' the algae out of the tank as if it were spaghetti. Also, to help give the water a quick fix, boil some peat and water in a pan and pour the juice back into the tank.
There a lot here1 Hope some of this helps!